Like millions of her peers, Julijana was horrified by "Kony 2012," the viral video about Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony. She wonders why many adults weren't similarly moved, and digs deeper into the story behind the video. (full text)

If you think it's a challenge to find healthy food within walking distance of your house or apartment, you're not alone. After doing some research and talking to a few experts, Abi got some suggestions on how to eat well on a budget no matter where you live. (full text)

After her grandmother’s cooking, laden with pork, grease and oil, leaves her feeling sick to her stomach, this writer decides to start buying some of the groceries. When she tries to get healthier fare in her neighborhood, she discovers it’s a challenge. (full text)

Roberta used to think feminists were militant protesters that all hated men. Here, she discovers that’s not the case. She explores the definition, history, and comes to her own interpretation. (full text)

Julijana is horrified by "Kony 2012," a video about Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, and immediately shares the link on Facebook. However, after learning more about the viral video, she wonders if social media is an effective tool for activism. (full text)

While Wall St. has recovered from the recession, a lot of low and moderate income workers have lost their jobs permanently. NYC reporters travel to three different neighborhoods (wealthy, moderate income, and poor) to find out on the ground how the recession is affecting people. (full text)

YCteen interviews three experts on race: Rinku Sen, a racial justice activist; Lasana Harris, a neuroscientist who studies how our brains process race; and Dalton Conley, a sociologist and author of the memoir "Honky."

Olivia issues a call for New York State to reform its juvenile justice system, by fixing underlying problems in impoverished high-crime neighborhoods, and by providing alternatives to incarceration that address the deeper issues, usually untreated in prison, that drive youth to commit crime.

According to police records, the NYPD stopped 508,540 pedestrians in 2006 for questioning or frisking. The vast majority of those stopped were black or Latino, and 90% weren’t found to be doing anything wrong. Sidebar to previous article.

Getting stopped by the police is common in minority neighborhoods, but when 50 kids get arrested in Bushwick, Brooklyn just for walking down the street, they decide to take action. Helped by an activist curriculum at their alternative school, they successfully sue the police.

UPROSE (United Puerto Rican Organization of Sunset Park) organizes youth to fight for social and environmental justice. Youth are trying to prevent construction of a polluting power plant and are pushing for a new park where there's now a garbage-strewn lot.

Bushwick, Brooklyn, has a reputation for drugs, violence, and crime. Cheryl, armed with census statistics, uncovers the root cause of the problem: most of the residents are poorly-educated and have limited English proficiency, leading to high unemployment and poverty.

At the activist organization Fresh Youth Initiatives (FYI) in the Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights, young people help improve conditions by cleaning parks, painting murals, tutoring younger kids, working in a food bank, and doing other community service projects.

At 14, Hanify joins the Afghanistan resistance and narrowly escapes capture. He hides out for almost two years, then is interrogated by the secret police before a bribe wins his release. He leaves behind his country, family, and friends in coming to the U.S.

Jeanette lives in East Harlem, a neighborhood plagued by crack and violence. Most of the girls she played tag with are now mothers and a drug-dealing friend was beaten to death, but Jeanette also knows a lot of good, hardworking people who are as ambitious as she is.

Norma writes about growing up during the civil war in her country, recalling how people lost their lives, dreams, and even their capacity to feel. But not all is well when she comes to the U.S.: she sees fights between ethnic groups and learns the word "racism" for the first time.

Coney Island, Sheila's neighborhood, is a barren place of housing projects and empty lots, but what makes it different from other "bad" neighborhoods are the beach, boardwalk, and amusement park rides.

The Voice of Young People in Care (VOYPIC) is a group of youth and adults working to improve foster care in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In one of their projects, young people are trained to go into homes and talk privately with kids about their concerns. (full text)

Max rides the subway all night long to get away from the harsh reality of his "ghetto world." He reflects on his loneliness in foster care and on the crime and discrimination that surround him, but he also knows there's a way out to a better future.